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Best states for a User Experience Designer

Quoted Expert
Robert Grizanti
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Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to user experience designer jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. Our research found that Washington is the best state for user experience designers, while Washington and California are ranked highest in terms of median salary. Washington has a median salary of $116,511 and Washington has the highest median salary among all 50 states for user experience designers.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for user experience designers. Washington is the best state for user experience designers, where the median salary is $116,511.We found that Washington is the best state for user experience designer jobs, whereas South Dakota is the worst.

10 best states for user experience designers in 2025

  1. Washington #1 best state for user experience designers

    1. Washington

    Total User Experience Designer Jobs:1,023
    Average Annual Salary:$116,511
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$83,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$162,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.76
  2. California #2 best state for user experience designers

    2. California

    Total User Experience Designer Jobs:3,677
    Average Annual Salary:$109,571
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$76,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$156,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.58
  3. Massachusetts #3 best state for user experience designers

    3. Massachusetts

    Total User Experience Designer Jobs:891
    Average Annual Salary:$95,630
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$68,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$133,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.22
  4. Rhode Island #4 best state for user experience designers

    4. Rhode Island

    Total User Experience Designer Jobs:114
    Average Annual Salary:$94,508
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$67,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$132,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.18
  5. New York #5 best state for user experience designers

    5. New York

    Total User Experience Designer Jobs:1,538
    Average Annual Salary:$93,529
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$66,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$130,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.5
  6. District of Columbia #6 best state for user experience designers

    6. District of Columbia

    Total User Experience Designer Jobs:278
    Average Annual Salary:$98,059
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$70,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$135,000
    Location Quotient:
    2.08
  7. Virginia #7 best state for user experience designers

    7. Virginia

    Total User Experience Designer Jobs:837
    Average Annual Salary:$90,201
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$65,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$124,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.11
  8. Oregon #8 best state for user experience designers

    8. Oregon

    Total User Experience Designer Jobs:517
    Average Annual Salary:$85,656
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$61,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$119,000
    Location Quotient:
    1.56
  9. Nevada #9 best state for user experience designers

    9. Nevada

    Total User Experience Designer Jobs:123
    Average Annual Salary:$92,206
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$64,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$131,000
    Location Quotient:
    0.74
  10. New Jersey #10 best state for user experience designers

    10. New Jersey

    Total User Experience Designer Jobs:500
    Average Annual Salary:$92,805
    Lowest 10 Percent Earn:$66,000
    Highest 10 Percent Earn:$129,000
    Location Quotient:
    0.79

User Experience Designer JobsNear Ashburn, VA

How Zippia determines the best states to be a user experience designer

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a user experience designer

RankStateAverage SalaryLowest 10% EarnPopulationJob Count
1Washington$116,511$83,0007,405,7431,023
2California$109,571$76,00039,536,6533,677
3Massachusetts$95,630$68,0006,859,819891
4Rhode Island$94,508$67,0001,059,639114
5New York$93,529$66,00019,849,3991,538
6District of Columbia$98,059$70,000693,972278
7Virginia$90,201$65,0008,470,020837
8Oregon$85,656$61,0004,142,776517
9Nevada$92,206$64,0002,998,039123
10New Jersey$92,805$66,0009,005,644500
11Alaska$89,658$72,000739,79549
12Connecticut$86,536$61,0003,588,184241
13New Hampshire$81,701$58,0001,342,795142
14Arizona$85,250$60,0007,016,270353
15Pennsylvania$81,629$58,00012,805,537831
16Texas$80,522$58,00028,304,5961,511
17West Virginia$86,826$63,0001,815,85762
18Michigan$77,426$56,0009,962,311607
19Maryland$87,369$62,0006,052,177459
20North Carolina$78,917$57,00010,273,419688
21Utah$76,913$54,0003,101,833283
22Delaware$82,844$59,000961,93972
23North Dakota$81,434$60,000755,39347
24Wyoming$78,388$56,000579,31534
25Minnesota$78,395$58,0005,576,606489
26Maine$77,193$55,0001,335,90783
27Colorado$79,629$57,0005,607,154447
28Illinois$78,145$57,00012,802,023951
29Vermont$77,167$54,000623,65757
30Montana$77,452$55,0001,050,49361
31South Carolina$75,219$55,0005,024,369255
32Georgia$73,189$53,00010,429,379933
33Louisiana$76,976$55,0004,684,333151
34Ohio$71,610$52,00011,658,609679
35Arkansas$72,888$53,0003,004,279137
36Missouri$75,102$55,0006,113,532309
37Florida$75,264$54,00020,984,400919
38New Mexico$74,425$53,0002,088,070109
39Tennessee$71,825$53,0006,715,984299
40Kentucky$72,336$53,0004,454,189191
41Hawaii$78,770$61,0001,427,53840
42Wisconsin$69,955$51,0005,795,483383
43Alabama$70,489$51,0004,874,747232
44Nebraska$69,716$51,0001,920,076120
45Oklahoma$70,250$51,0003,930,864157
46Kansas$66,597$49,0002,913,123186
47Idaho$71,605$50,0001,716,94385
48Mississippi$70,704$51,0002,984,10090
49Iowa$66,807$49,0003,145,711185
50Indiana$61,094$45,0006,666,818310
51South Dakota$55,567$41,000869,66650

Highest paying states for user experience designers

RankStateAvg. User Experience Designer Salary
1Washington$116,511
2California$109,571
3Massachusetts$95,630
4Rhode Island$94,508
5New York$93,529
6District of Columbia$98,059
7Virginia$90,201
8Oregon$85,656
9Nevada$92,206
10New Jersey$92,805
11Alaska$89,658
12Connecticut$86,536
13New Hampshire$81,701
14Arizona$85,250
15Pennsylvania$81,629
16Texas$80,522
17West Virginia$86,826
18Michigan$77,426
19Maryland$87,369
20North Carolina$78,917
21Utah$76,913
22Delaware$82,844
23North Dakota$81,434
24Wyoming$78,388
25Minnesota$78,395
26Maine$77,193
27Colorado$79,629
28Illinois$78,145
29Vermont$77,167
30Montana$77,452
31South Carolina$75,219
32Georgia$73,189
33Louisiana$76,976
34Ohio$71,610
35Arkansas$72,888
36Missouri$75,102
37Florida$75,264
38New Mexico$74,425
39Tennessee$71,825
40Kentucky$72,336
41Hawaii$78,770
42Wisconsin$69,955
43Alabama$70,489
44Nebraska$69,716
45Oklahoma$70,250
46Kansas$66,597
47Idaho$71,605
48Mississippi$70,704
49Iowa$66,807
50Indiana$61,094
51South Dakota$55,567

Expert opinions on the best states for user experience designers

  • Are there any particularly good places in the United States for User Experience Designers to find work opportunities?

    Robert GrizantiRobert Grizanti LinkedIn Profile

    Assistant Professor, Villa Maria College

    I have not conducted any research in this area, but consulting with our Advisory Council and as a member of our local American Advertising Federation chapter, I know many ad agencies, design firms, in-house marketing/design departments, and printers are always looking for skilled graphic designers. Of course, larger markets around the country will have more opportunities, but there are many small and mid-sized companies with "hidden" opportunities for many entry-level positions. I would encourage all recent graduates not to overlook these and would add, the growth of a virtual workforce may provide regional, domestic, and worldwide employment opportunities also.

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